Paleolithic Art in Peril: Policy and Science Collide at Altamira Cave

Sáiz‐Jiménez, Cesáreo; Cuezva, Soledad; Jurado, Valme; Fernández-Cortés, Ángel; Porca, Estefanía; Benavente, David; Cañaveras, Juan Carlos; Sánchez‐Moral, Sergio

doi:10.1126/science.1206788

Cited by 130 publications

(91 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…However, tourism has been shown to negatively impact the environmental factors within the cave, including the temperature, CO 2 concentration, and organic matter and microorganism content (Šebela et al, 2013;Mulec, 2014). Specifically, the development of microbial bloom in caves is extremely difficult to control and recover from (Mulec and Kosi, 2009;Jurado et al, 2010b); moreover, microbial bloom affects the attractiveness of the cave, influencing tourism, and could also be responsible for cave closure, due to the risk to human health and cave conservation (Jurado et al, 2010b;Saiz-Jimenez et al, 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of organic matter enrichment on the fungal community in limestone cave sediments

et al. 2016

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ABSTRACT. Caves are considered major touristic attractions. The management plans of many such caves include limiting the number of visitors; however, the human impact on microbial communities within caves is rarely considered. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of human-transferred organic matter on the fungal microcosms growing on cave sediments. Samples were collected from a Brazilian limestone cave and cultured with 0.25 or 0.5% 1:1 (w/w) beef and yeast extract (simulating organic matter) under laboratory conditions. The contaminated fungal community was then evaluated at days 0, 30, 180, and 365 after inoculation by polymerase chain reaction denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis. We observed changes 2 E.L.S. Marques et al. Genetics and Molecular Research 15 (3): gmr.15038611 in the fungal communities with time, as well as the concentration of added organic matter, compared to the control fungal communities. Additionally, the contaminated microcosms showed a greater number of operational taxonomic units compared to the controls. These findings suggest that tourist activity could cause fungal outbreaks of possible human pathogens, demonstrating the importance of fungal monitoring in these caves.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of organic matter enrichment on the fungal community in limestone cave sediments

et al. 2016

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“…Furthermore, the decision of closing a cave to the public for conservation reasons is always a controversial topic. Sometimes economic interests prevail over conservation leading to deterioration of cultural heritage (Saiz-Jimenez et al, 2011). In rock-art caves, when visits cannot be prevented, cave management should include ways to control organic matter inputs by visitors, and periodic monitoring of microclimate and microorganisms present in all cave compartments.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diversity and biocide susceptibility of fungal assemblages dwelling in the Art Gallery of Magura Cave, Bulgaria

Mitova¹,

Iliev²,

Nováková³

et al. 2017

IJS

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Abstract:Magura Cave, north-western Bulgaria, possesses valuable rock-art paintings made with bat guano and dated from the period between the Eneolithic and Bronze Ages. Since 2008, the Art Gallery is closed to the general public in order to protect the paintings from vandalism, microclimatic changes caused by visitors and artificial illumination, and the consequent growth of fungi and phototrophs. Nevertheless, some tourist visits are allowed under the supervision of cave managers. This study provides the first scientific report on cultivable fungal assemblages dwelling different substrata in the Art Gallery. A total of 78 strains, belonging to 37 OTUs (Ascomycota 81%, Zygomycota 14%, Basidiomycota 5%), were isolated in the study. This fungal diversity was clearly dominated by Penicillium (50% of strains) and Aspergillus (13%). The most relevant visible fungal colonies were detected in sediments rich in bat guano, where, besides Penicillium, other guanophilic fungi such as Mucor, Mortierella, Trichosporon and Trichoderma were dominant. Conversely, scarce fungi were detected on rock surface of painted walls. Based on the biocide susceptibility assay, octylisothiazolinone (OIT) and benzalkonium chloride (BAC) were effective inhibiting the in vitro growth of dominant fungal species in Magura Cave, when applied at concentrations ranged from 100 to 1,000 mg/L. These data provide a valuable knowledge about Magura fungi, and exemplify a type of preliminary test that may be conducted before planning any biocide treatment. However, considering the irreversible effects of biocides on the ecological balance in caves, and the low fungal contamination in painted walls of Magura Cave, there is no reason to use conventional biocides in this cave. Further studies, monitoring microbial communities and microclimatic parameters, should be conducted to improve the knowledge on microbial ecology in Magura Cave and possible human impacts, as well as to allow the early detection of potential microbial outbreaks.fungi, cultivable microorganisms, rock-art caves, bat guano, biocides Received 14 September 2016; Revised 3 February 2017; Accepted 3 February 2017 Mitova M.M., Iliev M., Nováková A., Gorbushina A.A., Groudeva V.I. and Martin-Sanchez P.M., 2017. Diversity and biocide susceptibility of fungal assemblages dwelling in the Art Gallery of

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“…In the artificially illuminated parts of caves, the development of heterotrophic biofilms (Jurado et al, 2009;Saiz-Jimenez et al, 2011) and phototrophic communities serving as primary producers (Bastian and Alabouvette, 2009) is common. This community, generally known as lampenflora, is usually composed of different microbes, eukaryote algae, cyanobacteria, bryophytes, mosses, and ferns.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microclimate and microbial characterization in the Zinzulusa show cave (South Italy) after switching to LED lighting

D’Agostino¹,

Beccarisi²,

Camassa³

et al. 2015

JCKS

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Show caves are vulnerable environments whose conditions should be monitored over time. Many factors, such as visits by tourists and the installation of lights, can easily alter the equilibrium of the cave system. Grotta Zinzulusa is a show cave located on the southeastern coast of Italy. This cave is renowned for the richness of its faunal biodiversity, but little is known about its microclimate and about its microbial diversity in the form of lampenflora growth near the light sources. We investigated the photosynthetic microorganisms living in the Zinzulusa in regard to its microclimatic conditions one year after the change of the lighting system from tungsten to LED (light emitting diode) lamps. Most microbial activity was found in areas with vermiculations. We established four distinct communities based on macroscopic characteristics as a function of light intensity and wavelength. The observations were compared both with previous data collected in the last decade and with other caves reported in the literature. Results show that not much has changed within the first year after switching to a LED system with respect to the 1999 state. This research contributes to the knowledge of the environmental attributes and provides a baseline to check for changes in the lampenflora community over time in the Zinzulusa.

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Paleolithic Art in Peril: Policy and Science Collide at Altamira Cave

Abstract: Despite evidence of damaging human impacts, cave paintings may again be threatened if visitors are allowed access.

Cited by 130 publications

References 7 publications

Effect of organic matter enrichment on the fungal community in limestone cave sediments

Effect of organic matter enrichment on the fungal community in limestone cave sediments

Diversity and biocide susceptibility of fungal assemblages dwelling in the Art Gallery of Magura Cave, Bulgaria

Microclimate and microbial characterization in the Zinzulusa show cave (South Italy) after switching to LED lighting

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